Clinton Presents Awards to Advance Women in Peace and Security

This post originally appeared on the website of Georgetown University. Miriam Coronel Ferrer is a member of Inclusive Security’s Women Waging Peace Network.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was at Georgetown today to present the second of an annual award to individuals devoted to the cause of women, peace and security in the world.

Clinton joined Georgetown President John J. DeGioia and Melanne Verveer, executive director of Georgetown’s Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS), to present the “Hillary Rodham Clinton Awards for Advancing Women in Peace and Security” to Staffan de Mistura and Dr. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer.

Seat at the Table

“Peace and security are only possible when women have a seat at the table,” Clinton said today. “I’ve seen this in so many different ways in so many different places.”

De Mistura, a former U.N. Envoy for Afghanistan, won the award for his steadfast commitment to women’s participation in all aspects of Afghan life. He previously served as the Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the chief of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

Chief negotiator for the Philippines government in the Mindanao Peace Talks, Coronel-Ferrer received the award for serving as the first woman ever to head peace negotiations for her government. She is also a professor of political science at the University of the Philippines.

Peace and Security Champions

A distinguished diplomat with a long history of service to the United Nations, de Mistura was appointed U.N. Special Envoy for the Syrian Crisis in July 2014.

“Anywhere that we can, we should have women involved in peace,” said de Mistura, who dedicated his award to the women of Syria. “They are very creative, and we need creativity apart from determination.”

Coronel-Ferrer’s work in the Philippines included gathering the perspectives of different civil society groups, ethnic groups and women’s organizations in order to ensure a long-lasting and sustainable peace for the republic.

Award History

The Hillary Rodham Clinton Awards for Advancing Women in Peace and Security were created by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) in 2014.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton serves as the Honorary Founding Chair of GIWPS. As Secretary of State, she launched the U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security alongside President John J. DeGioia and Ambassador Verveer at Georgetown University in December 2011.

“I’ve loved watching this institute, the first of its kind, grow and thrive over the past three years,” Clinton said.

This is the second annual presentation of the awards. The 2014 awardees included British Foreign Secretary William Hague; Dr. Denis Mukwege, founder of the Panzi hospital in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Georgetown’s Institute

GIWPS examines and highlights the roles and experiences of women in peace and security worldwide through cutting edge research, timely global convenings and strategic partnerships.

Verveer, who previously served as the inaugural U.S. Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues, led the institute with Clinton, who serves as the institute’s honorary founding chair.

The mission of the institute is to leverage the university’s global reach to connect academia and practice, pioneer evidence-based and policy-oriented analysis and inspire the next generation of leaders.

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